Apparatus for control of water beneath ice surfaces



C. A. BELLAMY April 21, 1964 APPARATUS FOR CONTROL oF WATER BENEATH ICE sURFAcEs Original Filed June 27, 1960 y. Dm W M m I M A L E 8 A. n w o .n L c Hlm WIUH H HIIIIIIIIIIH ...Ihlllllxll via IIIHIHIlIHI I I I l I l l l I l I I l ,M um. .III||||I||| n|||||||l/ Ma/ United States Patent C) 3,129,565 APPARATUS FOR CGNTROL F WATER BENEA'IH ICE SURFACES Cliord A. Bellamy, 533 S. 7th St. E., Salt Lake City, Utah Original application June 2'7, 1960, Ser. No. 39,025.

Divided and this application uly 25, 1961, Ser. No. 127,455

2 Claims. (Cl. 61-1) This invention relates to an apparatus for control of water, particularly the Water existing beneath the ice surfaces of glacier lakes, which water under present conditions feeds to reservoirs or low lands, and with the corning of thawing weather, the flow of water would be increased to a point where the reservoir would be unable to receive and retain the water, with consequent flooding of the overtaxed areas.

It is therefore the cardinal object of the invention to provide an apparatus for control of water, wherein the water beneath the surface of ice formed on glazier lakes or the like, may be pumped therefrom and discharged upon the top surface of ice on the lake or other body of water to expose the Water to climatic temperatures so that it may freeze and thus build up a series of layers of ice, which layers will melt gradually, under spring thawing conditions, in such quantities as to be accommodated by the reservoirs and the low lands without liability of damage by flooding, as well as conserving the water.

The present invention is a division of my prior copending application Serial Number 39,025 tiled lune 27, 1960.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein,

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus for carrying out the invention, the lake body and ice formation being shown in section.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of a heater unit employed with the water intake to a pump of the apparatus.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is illustrated in FIGURE 1, an ambulant apparatus generally indicated by the reference character 10, Which in the present instance, is shown as a motor vehicle truck 11, which comprises a pump 12 which may be operated from a suitable power take-off from the engine of the truck. The truck is provided with a rigid, rearwardly inclined support tower 13, which is pivotally mounted within the truck body as at 14 permitting angular adjustment of the tower by means of an adjustable arm 15, which may also be controlled and actuated from a power take-off of the engine.

The tower 13 includes a support arm 16 which is adjustable thereon by virtue of longitudinally spaced openings 17, the arm 16 being selectively adjusted and secured in the openings 17. The lower end of the arm 16 is provided With suitable means for securement of a water inlet conduit 18 which passes through a heating chamber 19 and is connected to the intake side of the pump as at 18'.

A heating chamber 20 which as shown, is positioned in a suitable opening formed in the ice formation above the lake Water and as best seen in FIGURE 2, the chamber is of elongated cylindrical formation having respective end closure plates 21 and 22, each of which is provided with an axial opening for passage and securement of a conduit 23, the ends of which project a suitable distance beyond the closure plates for connection of the hose 18 at the upper end thereof, while a hose 18a is connected at the lower end of the chamber. The hose 18a is of a length so as to extend well within the body of water for ICC transfer thereof upon the upper surface of the ice formation, as will be described hereinafter. The closure plate 22 is additionally provided with two openings for mounting of respective legs 24 and 24 of a heating coil 25. The leg 24 of the coil extends exteriorly of the closure plate 22 and is open to the atmosphere. The heating chamber 19 is similarly constructed.

It will be understood that due to extremely low freezing conditions, the heating chambers 19 and 20 are essential to maintain the water in a flowable state.

The chambers 19 and 20 in the present instance, obtain a source of heat from the hot exhaust gases emanating from the exhaust pipe 26 of the truck engine, the latter not being shown. A three-way pipe fitting 27 has one branch thereof connected to the exhaust pipe 26 by means of a suitable hose 28, the opposite branch being connected to the leg 24 of the coil 25 by means of a hose 29, while the intermediate branch of the fitting 27 establishes a connection with the heating chamber 19 by means of a hose 30.

In use, the truck 11 is brought to the location for carrying out the operation and is brought into close proximity of the edge of the lake or other body of water so that the heating chamber 20 may be readily installed in a suitable opening formed through the ice surface 31, with the hose 18a submerged beneath the ice surface.

With the motor of the truck in operation, hot gases from the exhaust pipe 26 will pass through the heating chambers 19 and 20. The pump 12 is next put into operation, creating a suction in the intake 18', the water inlet 18 and hose 18a. Water beneath the surface of the ice will thus be drawn into the pump 12 and discharged through the .conduit 32 supported by the tower 13 and from which the water will be discharged upon the surface of the ice 31. The water passing through the heating chambers will be maintained in a flowable state notwithstanding extreme climatic temperatures.

Thus it will be seen that with continuous operation in the transfer of water from beneath the ice surface to the upper surface thereof, the amount of water Within the lake or river is reduced in the formation of a series of layers of ice upon the original ice surface formation. Under spring thawing conditions, water beneath the ice surface will ow normally to the point of discharge, but the layers of ice will undergo a gradual melting and thus avoid flooding or damage to property at the point of discharge of water from the lake or river.

While I have shown and described a preferred construction of the apparatus for carrying out the same, this by Way of illustration only, and I consider as my own all such modifications in construction as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus that is adapted to control water beneath ice surfaces of a body of water, in combination a source of heat, an intake conduit within said body of water, pump means, said pump means being provided with a suction and a discharge port, said intake conduit being connected to said suction port, a discharge conduit connected to the discharge port of the pump, said discharge conduit adapted to discharge Water upon the upper surface of said ice surface to expose said Water to below freezing temperatures, heating means connected to said source of heat, and said heating means positioned in a suitable opening formed in the ice surface and encasing said intake conduit for maintaining ow of water through the intake conduit to the pump.

2. In an apparatus that is adapted to control water beneath ice surfaces of a body of water, in combination, an ambulant vehicle having an internal combustion er1- gine, a pump and operating means connected to said engine, said pump having an intake suction port and a 3 discharge port, an intake conduit submerged within said body of .Waterand operatively connected to said suction port, heating chamber means positioned in a suitable opening formed in the ice surfaces and encasing said intake conduit, conduit means connected betweensaid heating chamber means and a source of heat from said engine and a discharge conduit and nozzle connected to the discharge Voutlet of said pump adapted to discharge water uponthe upper surface of the ice formation of said body of Water to expose said Water to below freezing temperatures.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Crittenton June 23, 1891 OTHER REFERENCES n Engineering News-Record, page 27, February 19, 1959. 

1. AN APPARATUS THAT IS ADAPTED TO CONTROL WATER BENEATH ICE SURFACES OF A BODY OF WATER, IN COMBINATION A SOURCE OF HEAT, AN INTAKE CONDUIT WITHIN SAID BODY OF WATER, PUMP MEANS, SAID PUMP MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH A SUCTION AND A DISCHARGE PORT, SAID INTAKE CONDUIT BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SUCTION PORT, A DISCHARGE CONDUIT CONNECTED TO THE DISCHARGE PORT OF THE PUMP, SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT ADAPTED TO DISCHARGE WATER UPON THE UPPER 